Game board and playing pieces



July 9, I957 e. F. WALES GAME BOARD AND PLAYING PIECES Filed Dec. 15, 1952 GOG GQG

United States The present invention relates to games and more particularly to a game that may be played by two or more players on a gameboard by movement of gamepieces from one marked area to another of the board.

The basic purpose of the present invention is to provide a game that may be played by two or more players with gamepieces on a board whose playing surface is marked with a plurality of separately defined areas con stituting positions from and to which the gamepieces may be moved, and that will provide opportunity for exercise of the astuteness and the intelligence of the players.

A concomitant object of the invention is to provide a game of the character described which will be more entertaining and more attention-holding than previously known games of this type.

Another object of the invention is to provide a game of the character described in which each player has a separate starting or home zone which is also his goal, and in which the object of the game is for each player to traverse his gamepieces around the board in one direction from his home zone or section back to his home zone or section again, thereby traversing his gamepieces successively through the home zones or sections of the other players.

A further object of the invention is to provide a game of the character described in which the gamepieces may be moved on the board either by jumping as in a game of checkers or from one space to an adjacent space, as opportunity presents itself during play of the game.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a game of the character described in which a vast variety of possible moves may be presented and in which the player may take advantage of the positions not only of his own gamepieces but of those of his opponents in planning and making his moves.

Other objects of the invention will be apparent hereinafter from the description, when read in conjunction with the drawing, and from the recital of the appended claims.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a plan View of a game'board constructed according to one embodiment of this invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of one of the movable gamepieces used in playing the game; and

. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the imitation money that may be used in paying off the penalties and satisfying the scoring of the game.

My novel game is played on a board designated generally at 20 which is provided on its playing surface with a plurality of gamepiece-receiving areas which here are circles, but which may be squares or of any other desired geometric shape. The board itself is square and the circles are arranged in columns of threes all around the board.

The board shown in the drawing is made for simultaneous play of not more than four players. The nine circles in each of the four corners of the board constitute the home zones or sections of the several players. These home sections are designated 23a, 23b, 23c, 23d, respectively. The nine circles in each home zone are numbered consecutively from 1 to 9 inclusive.

Each player is provided with nine playpieces, similar 2,798,724 Patented July 9, 1957 to the playpiece 25 shown in Fig. 2. The nine playpieces of each player are numbered consecutively 1 to 9, but the different players have playpieces of diiferent colors. The playpiece shown in Fig. 2 is green in color, forming the No. 1 piece of a set of nine green playpieces numbered .1 to 9. The playpieces of the other sets may be white, yellow and red, for instance. Each playpiece may represent a cowboy or other person or animal.

In setting up the gameboard each player places his nine playpieces on the nine numbered circles of his home zone 23a, 23b, 23c, 23d, as the case may be, matching the number on each of his playpieces to the number on one of the circles of his home zone. That is, in setting up each player puts his No. 1 playpiece on the No. 1 circle of his home section, his No. 2 playpiece on the No. 2 circle of his home section, etc. Between successive home zones are eighteen circles 21 arranged in threes in a column six circles deep.

The object of the game is for each player to advance his gamepieces or cowboys in the direction of the :arrows 26 around the gameboard from his home zone back to his home zone again. In advancing a gamepiece a player may move the gamepiece from one circle 21 to the next adjacent circle 21 either straight or diagonally forward, or he may jump the gamepiece either straight or diagonally forward.

The rules of play may have many variations. A preferred method of play will, however, now be described.

The choice of the player who is to start the game may be made by lot or in any other conventional manner. The players take turns, each player playing after the preceding player has completed the move of a gamepiece.

As the gamepieces spread out from the home zone, each player should endeavor to arrange his gamepieces in line, with spaces between consecutive gamepieces so that he may advance his gamepieces by jumping and may have as many consecutive jumps 'as possible in a single play. The player, who first gets all his gamepieces around the board and back into his own home zone 23a, 23b, 23c, or 23d, as the case may be, with the gamepieces on their properly numbered circles, wins the game.

A player may jump not only his own gamepieces but the gamepieces of his opponents also. A player may jump one of his own pieces only if the space (circle) beyond and adjacent to that piece is vacant, but he may jump any number of an opponents gamepieces whether they have spaces between them or not providing the jump is made in a straight line and providing none of his own pieces are in that line. When one of his own pieces isin the line, he cannot jump his opponents pieces. After a few opening moves each player should have his pieces arranged so that he can jump into the territory of the player next adjacent him counterclockwise of the board. Then he can advance more rapidly by jumping his opponents gamepieces as well as his own. Sometimes a player is able to start one of his own gamepieces or cowboys and jump the piece half way around the board. If the move of a particular gamepiece terminates with the gamepiece in an opponents home zone, the player cannot move another gamepiece on his next play, but must move that particular gamepiece out of the opponents home section if possible.

As stated above, the player, who first gets his pieces home, each on its proper space, Wins the game. Various ways of scoring may be employed. One method is for the winner to score, for each piece of his opponents, not on its own properly numbered circle, in the opponents home zone, the sum of the number of the playing piece and the number of the circle on which it is caught if it is caught in the opponents home zone but not on its own circle. finish are penalized ten plus the number of the piece Playing pieces not in their own home zone at the when the piece is caught in the last leg or section 27 leading to its own home zone. If the piece is caught in the next to the last leg, the winner scores twenty plus the number of the piece. If caughton the second. to the last leg, the penalty is thirty plus the number of the piece. a p e is c u t h "star ing. eg. ewinner s or forty plus the numberof the piece. Piecescaught in an opponents home section are penalized fifty points plus.

the number of the piece.

Settlement of the score may be made by payment of make-believe money by each loser to the victor based on the penalties assessed against each loser. Each player may be provided with the same amount of this makebelieve money at the start of the game. This money may. be in various denominations for instance one, five and ten dollar notes. A make-believe or imitation one dollar note is shown at 30in Fig. 3.

When two players only are playing, they use diagonal corners 23a and 23c or 23b and 23d" for their starting areas. The playing pieces are placed on all four corners, however. The playing pieces in the dummy corners are not moved, though, at the outset. The two players take turns moving and jumping until some-of their pieces reach the dummy corner. Then, in order to receive help to get across the next leg 27- to the nextcorner, each player may use his turn to move or jumppieces out of the dummy corner, which is to the right of his starting corner, onto spaces 21, with the purpose thereby of assisting his own pieces to advance faster. Each move of playpieces from the dummy corner counts 'as a regular move. A player has the choice as to whether to use the dummy pieces or not. Only the player" whose pieces reach a dummy corner first may move the pieces in that particular dummy corner during a game. jumps of the pieces from the dummy corners must be the same as the moves and jumps ofthe pieces from the starting corners. A player may move his own dummy pieces to block his opponent if he desires. is the same as in a four handed game.

When three play each uses the corner to his right as his, starting corner. The players take turns moving or jumping, play always proceeding in the direction of the arrows 26. The first playerto reach the dummy corner may use his turn to. move or jump pieces out ofthe dummy corner onto spaces 21 inorder to help advance his own pieces faster. Each move, of a dummy piece counts as a regular move. The players should take-turns in. successive games playing the corner which is behind thev dummy corner, in. rotationin orderto equalize the situation. The scoring is the same as in a four-handed a Obviously the gamepieces. may be used to representother entities; than cowboys, and various-games may be played. based upon the principles of the present invention. While the invention has been described in connection with a specific embodiment thereof, then, itwill be understood: that it is capable of further modification, and. this applica tion, is intended to. cover any variations, uses, or adaptae tions of the, invention following, in general, the principles. of the inyention and including. such departures from. the present disclosure, as, come within known or customary P ac c n the art to which the invention pertains and as may be applied to the, essential features hereinbefore 'set forth and as fallwithin the scope of the invention or the limitsof the appended claims;

Having thus described my invention, what I clairnis:

1. A game apparatus for a game of movement, compri n a plurali y o e of. g mep and a s board on which said gamepieces may be moved, each set amep ece compris n a. pl rality of g ep h gamepieces of any one set all bearing identical identifying indicia butthe gamepieces of difierent sets bearing different identifying indicia, said gameboard having a plurality of home areas equalin number to the number of sets ofi gamepieces, on each of which one set of game The moves and The scoring pieces is adapted to be arranged at the start of a game, said home areas being arranged in spaced relation to one another, and a plurality of connecting sections connecting said home areas, each connecting section connecting two home areas, each home area comprising at least three rows of spaces with at least three spaces in each row, the correspondingly positioned spaces of dilferent rows being aligned in columnar manner, and each connecting section having a plurality of spaces arranged in rows of at least three spaces each, the spaces of each row of a connecting section being aligned in columnar manner with the spaces of the tWo home areas connected by that connecting section, the several home areas and connecting sections together constituting the whole of the playing area of the gameboard and being so disposed relativeto one another as. to. form an endless series of row of spaces arranged in a hol o nfi u at on n ai mc rdr eac p of both the home areasyand of the connecting sections being adapted to receive a gamepiece during playing of a game, whereby the gamepieces may be moved from space to space and also jumped over intervening spaces of both the home areas and connecting sections, horizont-ally, vertically, and diagonally.

2 A game apparatus according to claim 1 in which the number of gamepieces in the several sets are equal, and the number of spaces in the several home areas are equal, and in which the number of gamepieces in each set is equal to the number of spaces in each home area.

3. A game apparatus according to claim 2 in which the gamepieces of each set are consecutively numbered and in which the spaces of each home area. are correspondingly consecutively numbered.

4. A game apparatus for a game of movement comprising four sets of gamepieces, and a gameboard on which said gamepieces may be moved, each set of gamepieces comprising nine gamepieces consecutively numy bered, the gamepieces of any one set all bearing identical identifying indicia but the gamepieces of diiferent sets bearing diiferent identifying indica, said gameboard having a playing area arranged in the form of a hollow rectangle with four home areas disposed, respectively, at the four corners of said rectangle and with four connecting sections constituting, respectively, the four sides of said rectangle, each connecting section connecting two home areas, each home area comprising nine consecuti vely numbered spaces arranged in three rows of three spaces each, the correspondingly positioned spaces of different rows being aligned in columnar manner, and each connecting section comprising a column consisting of a plurality of rows of spaces, each row comprising three spaces aligned with the spaces of the two home areas connected by that connecting section, the several home areas and connecting sections being so disposed relative to one another as to constitute an endless series of rows of spaces arranged in hollow rectangular formation, each space of both the home areas and of the connecting sections being adapted to receive a gamepiece during playing of a game, whereby the gamepieces may be moved from space to space and also jumped over intervening spaces of both the home areas and connecting sections, horizontally, vertically, and diagonally.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

